Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz: What was their deal?

I’ve always found post-game interactions in the NFL to be somewhat odd.

Opposing players and coaches embrace, chat, joke, kneel in prayer together, and do other things that provide a stark contrast to what they were doing just minutes earlier: trying to knock the crap out of each other. It’s the same for coaches, who shake hands and exchange a few kind words and well-wishes, even though one is most likely ticked off beyond belief and the other is probably channeling Stuart Scott in his head and thinking, “Booyah!”

All parties are somehow able to put their emotions on hold. It’s a few moments of civility after three hours of chaos. There are a few infamous exceptions, but that’s typically the scene regardless of how frustrating the loss or how thrilling the win.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz took exception to 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh’s emphatic post-game handshake. (AP)

And that’s what makes the post-game altercation between Lions coach Jim Schwartz and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh so surprising.

If you didn’t see it live, you’ve probably seen the replay more than once. And if you haven’t, no worries — it’s one you’ll see for a long time, perhaps someday immortalized in a beer commercial.

Harbaugh, elated after San Francisco’s 25-19 win over the previously unbeaten Lions, bounded, yelled and raised both arms in celebration while running toward midfield for the standard post-game handshake with Schwartz.

When the two met, Harbaugh seemed to wind up while still running toward Schwartz, gave his counterpart a hard handshake, yelled something and headed toward the tunnel. Schwartz took immediate exception, turning back toward Harbaugh with an incredulous and unamused look on his face.

Then it turned into an episode of Jerry Springer.

Schwartz said something to Harbaugh then chased after him, trying to fight through several people who were attempting to separate the two. A mass of players, coaches and staff members assembled near the tunnel. A few shoves were exchanged before order was restored.

A couple things crossed my mind while watching the replay numerous times:

• The middle-aged man in a suit (I assume he was a member of one team’s PR staff) who was trying to separate Harbaugh and Schwartz looked a lot like Ron Jeremy. Google him. Actually, don’t.

• Both coaches acted out of line.

Let me play Monday Morning Psychologist (or is it psychiatrist? I can never remember the difference). Harbaugh, from what I’ve noticed while watching him the last couple years, seems completely unengaged during interviews, as if something else much more important is on his mind.

Perhaps that element was at play during his handshake with Schwartz. Maybe Harbaugh was so wrapped up in his excitement that he lost all sense of post-game protocol. He seemed to make little, if any, eye contact with Schwartz, emphatically shaking his hand and yelling something as if it were a member of his own coaching staff.

That excitement is certainly understandable. The 49ers improved to 5-1 for the first time since 1998 and won their third game in the Eastern time zone in as many chances, something that before the season seemed unimaginable given the historic struggles that West coast teams have had when heading east.

But his lack of etiquette is indefensible. Why couldn’t he simply stop to compose himself before shaking Schwartz’s hand? What’s the point of even shaking hands if you don’t? This wasn’t the first big win of his career. If coaches can contain their excitement long enough for a proper post-game handshake after winning the Super Bowl, then Harbaugh should be able to do so after a win in Week 6.

For his part, Harbaugh expressed some regret during his post-game press conference, saying, “It’s totally on me. I shook his hand way too hard.”

Schwartz’s indignance is entirely understandable. I’d be miffed if an opposing coach was as ungracious as Harbaugh was. But his reaction was just too much. Coaches reprimand players when they lose their cool on the field and retaliate for something an opponent did. How is this any different? Schwartz showed a similar lack of compose, in my opinion, when instead he could have taken his displeasure up with Harbaugh in a less public manner.

The relative negligibility of this incident should be noted. Coaches and players have done things much, much worse. But this incident was still unfortunate because it will overshadow what was a great game. And it could have been avoided.

Football is an emotional sport. I learned that during the five years I played it (Uncle Rico alert!). The emotions both coaches had during Sunday’s post-game incident were acceptable. Their actions weren’t.

Follow Brady Henderson on Twitter @BradyHenderson